As Economy Sinks, Progressives Will Push Income Equality in 2016

Capitol New York reports NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and activist Van Jones met with fellow Progressives, including Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, to discuss a “template” based upon the Republican’s 1994 “Contract with America” to elevate income equality as a top issue in the 2016 elections.

“How is it that it’s already April 2015 and there is no serious debate on income inequality in this country, we are not talking about the things that would actually address the situation?” de Blasio said at a press conference, where he was joined by Malloy, Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona and the activist Van Jones, among others.

“All of this is focused on a notion that we are not having a discussion of income inequality in this country and we are not having that discussion at our peril,” de Blasio said. “We must change the debate and the dialogue and that must lead to real policy solutions because too many people are being left behind, the economy is not working for a huge number of Americans, and this is not a sustainable path to our future.

While the language fits more with an Elizabeth Warren than a Hillary Clinton, the effort may force Clinton to court the Left by signing on, since she’ll need progressives to win in 2016. De Blasio is planning visits to Iowa and Wisconsin to push the effort, while the group hopes to hold a “bipartisan” forum on the topic after the template is created. Whether that would help drive the discussion in 2016 remains to be seen.

Van Jones, co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, described the Gracie Mansion as a “major development in this country.”

“The mayor is a big man, this is a big house, this is a big deal,” Jones said. “The sound you just heard is the sound of jaws dropping and hitting their desks in Washington D.C.”